Production recording instrument



N. R` BENHAM PRODUCTION RECORDING INSTRUMENT Sept. 8, 1953 `Filed July l, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 nventor Sept. 8, 1953 N. R. BENHAM 2,651,551

PRODUCTION RECORDING INSTRUMENT Filed July l, 1948 3 Shee'ts-Sneet 2 Gttomegs Sept' 8, 1953 N. R. BENHAM PRODUCTION RECORDING INSTRUMENT 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July l, 1948 .NNN

Patented Sept. 8, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PRODUCTION RECORDING INSTRUMENT Norman R. Benham, Detroit, Mich.

Application July 1, 1948, Serial No. 36,520

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to recording instruments and in particular to production recording instruments.

One object of this invention is to provide a production recording instrument wherein idle time of the machine will be instantly shown upon a moving record strip and wherein attempted concealment of the idle period by the operator is detected at a glance.

Another object is to provide a production recording instrument wherein an unusually large amount of production is capable of being recorded, piece by piece, upon a relatively short record strip, so that the record strip may be easily and conveniently led or consulted because of its relatively short length in comparison to prior record strips or charts.

Another object is to provide a production recording instrument wherein a recording pen, pencil, stylus or the like is moved at a uniform speed to and fro across a record strip which itself is moved step-by-step every time a workpiece is produced by the machine or, in some instances where keeping track of the individual piece is unimportant, by multiples of pieces such as, for example, every five or ten pieces.

Another object is to provide a production recording instrument wherein the production record appears as an elongated strip of paper or other suitable material which may be either continuously rolled or zig-zag folded, the production being indicated by a stepped line traced on the paper by a suitable stylus or tracer.

Another object is to provide a production recording instrument which will show the number of pieces produced, the precise time at which each piece was produced, the length of time required to produce each piece, any interruptions both as to duration and time of occurrence, and any attempt by the employee to operate instrument manually at great rapidity in order to cover up the idle time.

Another object is to provide a production recording instrument of the above-mentioned character wherein the recording stylus or tracer is moved across the record strip at a uniform speed by time mechanism, is then reversed and again travels at a uniform speed back across the record strip until it reaches the opposite edge, whereupon it is again reversed to resume its original travel across the record strip, the latter being advanced meanwhile step-by-step as each workpiece is produced, thereby giving a continuous record of production on a relatively compact record strip.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a production recording instrument according to a preferred form of the invention, with the casing door broken away to disclose the internal mechanism;

Figure 2 is a vertical section along the line 2-2 in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a horizontal section along the line 3-3 in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view of a portion of a production record strip used with the instrument of Figure 1, showing a production record traced thereon by the stylus of the instrument;

Figure 5 is a front elevation of a modified production recording instrument, according to the invention, with the casing door also broken away to disclose the internal mechanism;

Figure 6 is a vertical section along the line 6 6 in Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a horizontal section along the line 1 1 in Figure 5;

Figure 8 is a horizontal section similar to that of Figure 7, but showing a further modification of the stylus driving mechanism;

Figure 9 is a vertical section along the line 9--9 in Figure 8;

Figure 10 is a View similar to the upper part of Figure 6, but showing a still further modiiication of the record strip driving mechanism; and

Figure 11 is a vertical section along the line I I--l l inFigure 10.

In industry, it has long been regarded as desirable to record the production of production machines such as punch presses, lathes, automatic screw machines and the like, and numerous eiorts have been made to devise instruments satisfactory for this purpose. In prior instruments, however, the indication of production has often been unsatisfactory for various reasons. Instruments which use a circular disc for recording production give a record which is difiicult to read and which is consequently slow in use and limited in the amount of production it will record. Circular discs also do not file easily in conventional ling cabinets because, unless the discs are small, they leave much waste space in a file folder. Other instruments which employ record strips moved by clockwork have also been found unsatisfactory because of the great length of record strip required to record a given quantity of production, and also because an unscrupulous machine operator after loaiing on the job can manually operate a prior instrument to give a false record of machine production whose fraudulence is not readily detectable, if at all. @ther prior instruments fail to record the time when each individual piece was recorded, or the length of time required to produce each piece. Still other instruments print a figure every time a piece is made but require a tremendous length of record strip for a large production.

The production recording instrument of the present invention eliminates these difliculties or shortcomings of previous instruments. The record strip of the present instrument shows not only the instant at which each workpiece was produced, but also the length of time which was required to produce it. Any interruption in the production rate of the machine is instantly shown on the record strip, and any attempts on the part of the operator to operate the instru-.

ment manually in order to cover up or conceal idle periods of the machine and give an apparent record of production are thrwarted by the present instrument which shows both idle periods and speeded up operating of the instrument in an attempt to simulate the normal operation of the instrument by the machine. Since the record strips are elongated, with straight parallel edges, the record strip, when detached, is in the shape of an elongated rectangle which is easily folded and filed without wasting space in the filing cabinet, as in the case of the circular record discs. The elongated record strip produced by the present instrument is easy to read, and gives the required information at a glance, without the need for special instruments or skill in interpreting the results.

l'n general, the production recording instrument of this invention consists of a casing containing an elongated record strip of paper or other suitable material which is moved intermittently step by step in front of a stylus such as a pen or pencil, the record strip being operatively connected to a moving part of the production machine, such as, for example, a punch press, so that the record strip is moved one interval or step whenever a workpiece is produced or, in some instances of high rapidity production, a multiple number of such workpieces. The record strip is engaged by a stylus such as a pen or pencil, which is moved a't a uniform rate across the record strip by accurate timing mechanism, such as by an electrical synchronous clock motor. When the stylus reaches one edge of the record strip, it is automatically reversed and moves uniformly back across the record strip to the oppo- .site edge, and there again automatically reverses itself, and so on indefinitely. While the stylus is traveling in this manner, it traces out a straight horizontal line on the record strip. If production is going on at the same time, the instrument advances the record strip step by step for each workpiece produced so that, as a result, the. stylus traces out a stepped line (Figure 4) while workpieces are being produced. When production ceases for any reason, however, the record strip is no longer advanced, hence the stylus traces out a straight line. rIhe drawings show several different mechanisms, not only for moving the record strip step by step, but also for moving the stylus to and fro across the record strip.

Production recording instrument with escapement feed for record strip Referring to the drawings in detail, Figures l to 3 inclusive show a preferred form, generally designated it, of the production recording instrument of this invention, as housed in a boxlike casing i! having a box-like door I2 with a compartment i3 on the inside thereof communieating with the casing compartment I4, the door l2 being hinged as at i5 to the casing il. The door E2 is also provided with a flanged opening or window iii for receiving a transparent pane il! of glass, plastic or the like, through which n. record strip it can be observed from outside the casing li. The record strip iii (Figure 2) is in the form of an elongated ribbon woundy in the form of a roll upon a core or mandril 20 having axle pins 2i. The axle pins 2l are supported at the opposite ends of the core 2@ in notches 22 formed in the ends of supporting brackets 23 of L-shaped form secured by suitable fasteners to the back of the casing I l.

, The upper portion of the record strip I8 behind the pane il passes between flanged vertical guides 24 which overhang the lateral edges of the record strip i8 and hold it against a platen 25 formed by the front wall of a box-like partition 2t having a bottom portion 2l which is secured at its rearward edge (Figure 2) to the rearward wall of the casing ll. The record strip i8 passes out through a slot 28 in the top of the casing I I, and is there guided by a curved flange 29 on the top of the door i2.

The partition 2G in cooperation with ther casing il encloses a chamber 3&3 (Figure 2) within which is mounted the record strip advancing mechanism generally designated 3l. The mechanism Si consists of a torque motor 32 mounted by angle brackets 33s upon the rear wall of the casing l l and energized by electric conductors 34 and 35i from a suitable source of electric current, such as from an alternating current house light,- ing circuit. The motor 32 is of a type which can remain constantly energized while the armature shaft 3ft thereof remains halted, without burning out the windings of the motor, The armature shaft 34 carries a pinion 35 meshing with a gear 3@ on the upper end of a vertical shaft 31. The shaft 3l is journaled at its opposite ends in a bracket 38 and in the bottom partition wall 21 to which the bracket 35 is secured.

The lower end of the shaft 3l carries a helical gear 353 meshing with a helical gear 4@ mounted on a shaft li supported in a bracket 42 mounted on the underside of the partition bottom wall 21 upon an axis at right angles to the axis of rotation of the shaft 3l. The gear 4Q in turn meshes with a gear i3 mounted on a shaft 44 journaled in a bracket [i5 alsol secured to the underside of the partition bottom wall 2l. The shaft 44 also carries a feeding roller 4G which frictionally engages the record strip i3 and moves it upward between the guides 24 and in front of the platen or partition front wall 2t. The record strip I8 on the side opposite the roller 3S is engaged by a second roller il mounted upon axle pins 48 journaled in a U-shaped bracket 49 (Figure 3) supported by an arm 5t secured to the inside of the door i2.

The shaft 3i immediately beneath the bracket 38 carries an escapement wheel 5l (Figures 2 and 3) having diametrically opposite projections 52 engaged by prongs iii-l upon an arcuate arm 54. The latter is mounted upon a shaft or pivot pin 55 which in turn is journaled in the bracket 38. The arm 54 is provided with an extension 56 which passes through a slot 5i and engages a pin 5in. in the armature 58 of a solenoid 59. The solenoid i9 is mounted upon the partition bottom wall 2l and is connected by conductors 6,0 and Eil to a source of electric current (not shown) containing a switch which is closed by a moving part of the machine each time a workpiece is produced by the machine. A coil spring 62 attached to a pin 63 extending downward from the outer end of the arm extension 56 (Figure 2) constantly urges the latter toward the front wall 25 of the partition 26. The opposite end of the spring 62 is secured to a pin 64 rising from the partition bottom w-all 21.

The scriber driving mechanism 65, generally designated 65, -cccupies the lower and forward part of the casing Il and door I2 of the instrument and is driven by an electrical synchronous clock motor 66 of a conventional pattern, the details of which form no part of the invention and which is energized by conductors 61 and 68 connected to the conductors 34-and 35. The motor 66 is secured by posts 69 to an approximately U- shaped bracket which, in turn, is secured to the inside surface of the door I2. Mounted on the motor shaft 1| is a heart-shaped cam 12 with minimum and maximum peripheral points 13 and 14 located respectively at the nearest and farthest points from the axis of rotation. The bracket 10 is provided with downwardly and upwardly extending arms 15 and 16. Pivotally mounted as at 11 on the arm 15 is a scriber actuating lever 18 having a cam follower portion 19 engageable with the periphery of the cam 12 and also having a slotted upper end 80. The lever 18 is constantly urged to the right (Figure l) by a coil spring 8| connected thereto and having its opposite end anchored to the upwardly extending arm 16. The slotted end 86 of the lever 18 engages a pin 82 mounted on and projecting horizontally from a slider 83 which, in turn, slides to and fro upon a square shaft 84 mounted on angle brackets 85 secured to the inside of the door I2. Extending upward from the top of slider 84 is an arm 88, the upper end of which is provided with a horizontally drilled boss 81 which holds a suitable stylus 88, such as a pen or pencil, the forward end or writing tip of which engages the surface of the record strip I8. The stylus 8S is held in position by a set screw 89.

In operation, the production recording instrument I!! is loaded with a roll I9 of record strip I8, the latter being threaded between the rollers 46 and 41 and upward between the guides 24 and out through the slot 28 in the manner shown in Figure 2. The record strip I8 is preferably ruled with longitudinally extending lines 90 representing suitable time intervals, such as five-minute periods, and also with transverse graduations 9| representing individual or multiple production units according to the workpieces produced by the machine whose production is to be recorded. When the production machine is started, assuming that the conductors 34, 35, 6I), 6I, 61, 68 have been energized from a suitable source of electricity, the timing motor shaft 1I starts rotating, rotating the heart-shaped cam 12 and consequently causing the lever 18 to move the stylus 88 to and fro across the record strip I8 at a uniform rate of speed, tracing out a record line or graph 92. The shape of the graph 92 will, of course, depend on the behavior of the machine and on the nature of the articles being produced, as well as upon the activities of the operator.

Let it be assumed that the machine is idle for the first 8 minutes; the stylus 88 will then trace out a straight horizontal section 93 of the graph 92 (Figure 4) until the machine starts turning out Workpieces at the end of the eighth minute. When this occurs, the record strip I8 is moved upward intermittently step by step each time the workpiece or a given multiple of workpieces is produced, causing the graph 92 to exhibit a stepped portion 94. Let it be assumed that after the seventh workpiece has been produced, the machine remains idle for ve minutes, whereupon the straight horizontal portion 95 of the graph will be produced. The horizontal portions of the steps in the stepped portion 98 will indicate by their lengths the length of time required by the machine to produce each workpiece, and the vertical portion of each step will shovi7 the exact time at which a particular workpiece was being counted. Thus, the stepped portion 96 indicates that five more workpieces were produced after the five minute halt 95, after which a six minute halt 91 was made. t will be seen that the second workpiece produced during the interval 96 required about twice the length of time to produce as the remaining workpieces, this being indicated by the double-width of the tread of the rst step in this group.

At the end of the idle period 91, namely at 30 minutes after starting, the stylus reverses itself at the point 98, and at that instant the machine again starts producing and produces four Workpieces, as indicated by the graph portion S8, after which the machine remains idle for approximately 18 minutes indicated by the horizontal portion |98 of the graph 92. Obviously, the horizontal portions 95 and 91 may also represent, not idle periods, but also excessively long periods in which a given workpiece is being produced.

At the end of the 18 minute period, indicated by the horizontal portion |88, the machine again starts p-roducing regularly and produces ve workpieces, as indicated by the stepped portion IDI, after which an idle period or excessively long single unit working period |82 is recorded. At the end of this time, as at the point |03, the stylus would normally reverse its direction of motion as it did at the point 88. At the point |93, in Figure 4, however, the operator, seeking to cover up some of his idle time, apparently operated the production indicating switch on the machine three times in rapid succession, thereby producing the vertical record line |64 instead of a stepped line like the line IUI if the machine had been producing normally. Thus, the vertical line i8@ of greater length than that accorded to a single unit of production, indicates an attempt at cheating by the operator. Such cheating attempts are at once indicated on the record strip I8, so that a dishonest operator is exposed. In the particular record being traced out by the stylus 88, foliowing the attempt at cheating, the operator left the machine idle from the stylus reversing point 85 for about 14 minutes, as indicated by the horizontal line |86, after which he started producing regularly again, as indicated by the stepped portion |01.

Modified production recorder with ratchet record strip feed The modified production recording instrument I IB shown in Figures 5, 6 and '7 is similar in principle to that shown in Figures l to 3 inclusive, particularly as regards the scriber drive, but differs in the details of the record strip feeding mechanism. The instrument I I6 is provided with a box-like casing I I I having at the top a door I i2 hinged as at I I5 to the casing I!|. The front of the casing III is provided with a flanged opening IIo` for receiving a transparent pane I|1 of glass, plastic or the like having a window portion extending vertically along the right-hand side;

thereof (Figure Substantially the same record stripl is employed as in the form of the invention shown in Figures l to 3, hence the same reference numeral i8 is employed for it, with the same roll i9 uponV the same core 2d and axle pins 2| supported in. notches 22 in brackets 23 secured to the sides of the casing i. The appearance of the record strip it and the record graph traced out by the scriber are also substantially the same as shown in Figure 4 except that a slightly wider strip is optionally employed so that in a blank column on the right-hand side of the strip explanations of the causes of idleness or stoppages of the machine can be entered directly upon the stripthrough a framed opening H8. The. entries may be made by symbols representing diierent causes of idleness or stoppage, in order to conserve space. Above the framed openingA H8 is a transparent` window ile in an otherwise opaque portion of the pane i il'. Arranged to drop down to a. level behind the window i9 is an indicator |20 bearing the word empty or the. like mountedV upon a bent arm i2 i, the opposite end of which is bent around a pivot member |22, such as a pivot screw threaded into the right-hand side wall of the casing l i. A contact plate |23 on the underside of the pivoted arm |2| bears against the top oi the record strip roll i9 so that when the mandril.

or core Eu has become substantially empty, the indicator i2@ will show in the window H9 and indicate to the operator or maintenance man that a new roll |9 must be installed.

The record strip it passes over a roller |213 mounted on an axle |25 journaled in the opposite: side walls of the casing The record strip then passes upward past a platen |26 secured at its opposite ends to bosses la extending inward from the opposite side walls of the casing i i i. A weight l2? on the end of an arm |28 pivoted as at |229 to a bracket |39 prevents overrunning or excessive unrolling of the roll I9. The bracket i3@ is secured to the underside of a shelf iti which is secured to one of the side walls of the casing ill, and extends inward to approximately the center of the casing Also mounted on the shelf |3| is a solenoid |32, the armature |33 of which is constantly urged upward by a coil spring |313. Pivoted as at |35 to the slotted top of the armature |33 is a bell crank pawl |36, the lower arm of which is hooked to a coil. spring itl anchored as at |38 to the platform |3| (Figure 5). The upper arm of the pawl |36 is pronged and engages the teeth of a ratchet wheel it@ mounted upon a horizontal shaft |40 journaled in bearing brackets fastened to shelves iti, extending between and secured to the opposite side walls of the casing A worm M3 mounted on the outer end of the shaft Ill engages a worm wheel ill mounted on a shaft carrying a feed roller U36. A floating idler or pressure roller illl' mounted on an axle |48 which is secured in the outer ends of swinging arms i219 bears against the upper side of the record strip |8 and urges the latter against the feed roller Ede. to the side walls of the casing and are urged downward by one or more coil springs |5| connected between the arms |49 and the casing (Figure 6). This causes the feed roll |46 to frictionally engage the record strip i8 with a sunlciently powerful grip to advance the strip i8 one step every time the production machine throws a switch (not shown) which energizes The arms le@ are pivoted as at Idilv the solenoid |32- through the.k conductors |52 and |53 (Figure 6). The record strip i8 immediately after passing through the space between the rolls |116 and |41- enters a holder |54 of nearly circular cross-section which causes the strip to curl upinto a. rol-l, andthereby to conserve space. The holder |54 is roughly in the form of a question mark in cross-section and has its upper portion secured as at |55 to the underside of the cover |2. A spring latch |55` yieldingly holds the cover ||2 in position.

rlhe stylus driving mechanism |55 is generally similar to the scriber driving mechanism S5 previously described in connection with Figures 1 to 3, except that theV mechanism is for the most part mounted horizontally rather than vertically. The electrical synchronous clock motor |66 similar to the clock motor tt of Figure 2 is similarly energized by conductors itl and |68. The

^ motor. |66 is connected by posts |69 to a U-shaped bracket Il@ mounted on the bottom wall of the casing and having a motor shaft ill carrying an asymmetrical cam |'l2 with minimum and maximum points |73 and Hd. Pivotally mounted' as: at E on thev lug. or boss |76 rising from the bottom wall of the casing is a scriberactua-ting lever |.8 (Figures (i and 7). The latter carries a pivot pin ill carrying a cam follower roller iid engageable with the periphery of the asymmetrical cam |12. The outer or forward end of the scriber-actuating lever H3 is provided with opposed inwardly bent longitudinal flanges |83' forming a longitudinal guideway. The lever |7323' is constantly urged to the right (Figure '7) by a coil spring |8| connected thereto and having its opposite end anchored to the bottom wall of the casing Slidably mounted in the guideway formed by the flanges |30 upon the scriber-actuating lever H8 is an L-shaped scriber arm |82 having a lower or horizontal arm |83 slidably mounted between the flanges itil and also having a vertical arm |821 terminating in a boss |85. A coil spring |36 (Figures 6) connected to the pin lill which extends downward from the horizontal arm |33 of the scriber arm |52 constantly urges the latter inward. The boss |85 is bored to receive a scriber |88 similar tothe scriber 83 previously described and similarly held in position by a set screw |89. The scriber |88, which may be a pen or pencil, engages the record strip I8 and makes a mark on it while it is supported against the platen |26.

In order to guide the lever |78 as it swings to and from', the outer end of the lever |78 rests uponv the upper surface of a rib |90 (Figure 6). Passing over the flanged portions igt of the lever |18 is a bridge member |9| which serves as a retaining member to hold the parts in alignment.

The operation of the modied production recording instrument il@ is similar to that of the recording instrument It previously described. When the conductors H'i and itt are energized so as to causey the timing motor It@ to start rotating, the asymmetrical cam il? causes the scriber-actuating lever H8 to swing uniformly to and fro with a constant and uninterrupted motion, thereby tending to swing the scriber arm |82 and scriber |38 to and fro back and forth across. the record strip i8 at a uniform rate the same as in the production recording instrument ill, similarly tracing out the graph 92.

When the production machine starts operating and completes each workpiece, the solenoid |32 is energized through the energization of the conductors |52y and |53, pulling down the armature -l33-and pawl |36 and rotating the ratchet wheel |39 by-one tooth. This rotates lthe shaft |40 and worm |43 a partial revolution, consequently rotating the worm wheel |44 and feed roll |43, therebyadvancing the record strip i3 upward by one step or notch. This continues each time a workpiece is produced, as described in connection with the production recording instrument l0.

Modified somber-actuating mechanism with spiraZZy-grooved cam The 'scriber-actuating mechanism generally designated |92 is generally similar to the "scriber-actuating mechanism described in connection with Figures 5 to 7 inclusive, and similar partsare similarly numbered. In the modificationshown in Figures 8 and 9, however, in place of the heart-shaped cam |12, the electrical synchronous clock motor |66 has its motor shaft carrying a drum-shaped or cylindricalshaped cam |93 with a spiral groove |34 engaging the cam roller |13 on the pin Il? of the scriber-actuating lever |18. The cam groove |94 is an endless spiral return groove which thereby causes the lever |13 and scriber |83 to swing toand fro at a uniform speed the same as with the heart-shaped cam |12. The operation of this modification is substantially identical with that described in connection with the scriber operating-mechanism |35 previously explained, hence requires no further discussion.

Modified record strip advancing mechanism Figures and 11 show a further modified mechanism for advancing the record strip i8 step by step in response to the successive production of workpieces by the production machine. This modified record strip advancing mechanism, generally designated 200, is mounted in a casing similar to that shown in Figures 5 and 6 and having a similarly hinged door 2 with a similar record strip holder |54 secured thereto. The shaft |48, bearing bracket |4|, worm |43, wormwheel |44, shaft |45, feeding roll |46 and idler or pressure roll 4l on shaft |48 remain the same as in Figure 6 and are similarly designated. Figures 10 and 1l, however, show a different mechanism for rotating the worm shaft |40 from the pawl and ratchet mechanism shown in Figures 5 and 6.

For this purpose, a pair of discs 20| and 222 are secured to the shaft |40 and are provided with peripheral notches 203 and 224 respectively. Also mounted on the shaft |40 and secured thereto is a gear 205 with which meshes a pinion 236 mounted on the armature shaft 231 of an electric motor 208. The electric motor 223 is suspended by brackets 20S from a shelf 2te secured to one of the sidewalls of the casing 2|l. The notch 204 in the periphery of the disc 202 is engaged by a projection -or tooth 2|2 on the upper end of the armature 2 I3 of a solenoid 2 I4. The solenoid armature 2|3 is urged upward by a coil spring 2 5 arranged between the upper end of the solenoid 2|4 and a washer 2|6 mounted near the upper end of the solenoid armature 2|3. The notch 203 in the disc 20| is engaged by a anger 2| 1 mounted on the outer end of a spring lever or arm 2 |8 of a switch 2|9 having a fixed arm 220 with a contact 22| thereon engageable with a contact 222 on the spring arm 2|8.

In order to energize the motor 23B and solenoid 2|4, a circuit such as is shown in Figure ll is employed. This circuit includes a switch 223 operated vby a moving part of the production machine (not shown) and having switch bars 224 and 225. When the machine has finished a workpiece, its moving part actuates the switch 223, depressing its switch bars 224 and 225 so that they engage and bridge the contacts 225, 22'1 and 228, Y2253 respectively against the urge of a coil spring 230. The closing of the switch 223 in this manner closes the circuit between the power line 23| and the line 232 leading to the motor 2453, the circuit being completed by the power line 233 leading to the motor 208 and also to the solenoid 2| 4. The bridging of the contacts 228 and 229 by the lower switch bar 225 momentarily closes the circuit between the power line 23| and the line 234 leading to the solenoid 2|4, so that the latter is energized at the same time as the motor 203. The energization of the motor 208 is also controlled by the switch 2|3 which, when closed, establishes a bridging circuit aroundthe upper contacts 226, 22? so that this circuit will continue to be energized when the machine releases the switch 223.

In the operation of the modication shown in Figuras 10 and 11, let it be assumed that the production machine has just finished a workpiece and consequently has closed the machineoperated switch 223, bridging the gap between the upper contacts 226, 221 and the lower contacts 228, 229. This action energizes the motor 208 and solenoid 2|4. The energization of the solenoid 2|4 causes its locking tooth 2|2 on the armature I3 to be withdrawn from the locking notch 204, thereby releasing the disc 232 and shaft |40 for free rotation. The energization of the motor 208 starts the shaft |40 and dises 20|, 202 in rotation. As soon as the locking tooth 2|2 is withdrawn from the locking notch 204, the motor 208 causes the discs 20| and 222 to rotate, causing the notch 233 in the disc Ei to move away from the switch finger 2li. The latter therefore rides up on the periphery of the disc 20| and closes the circuit between the contacts 22| and 222 of the switch 2|9. The closing of the switch 2|9 establishes a holding circuit which temporarily bridges the contacts 226 and 221 of the machine-operated switch 223, even though the latter is immediately released and opens. Thus, the motor 203 continues to rotate the shaft |40, worm |43, worm wheel and feed roll |46, thereby advancing the record strip I8 one step past the scriber or stylus |08.

Meanwhile, the release of the machine-operated switch |23 immediately de-energizes the solenoid 2|4 by separating the contacts 22S and 229. As there is no bridging circuit for the solenoid 2|4, the armature 2|3 thereof is moved upward under the urge of the coil spring 245. By this time, however, the notch 204 has moved past the locking tooth 2|2 so that when the solenoid 2|4 is deenergized, the locking tooth 232 slides along on the periphery of the disc 202.

When the shaft |40 has been rotated one complete revolution by the motor 208, the switch finger 2 drops into the notch 203 which has now arrived opposite it. This causes the switch arm 2|8 and its contact 222 to move out of engagement with the contact 22|, opening the circuit in the switch 2 i9 and thereby de-energizing the holding circuit around the switch 223. This deenergizes the motor 203 and causes the shaft |40 to come to a halt. Meanwhile, the locking tooth 2|2 on the solenoid armature 2 i3 has been pushed upward into the notch 204 in the periphery of the disc 202, locking the latter in position 11 until the next actuation of the switch 223 by the completion of another Work-piece.

What I claim is:

1. An instrument for recording upon a record strip the workpiece production of a machine, comprising a rotary record strip feeding member engageable with said record strip, normally inactive electric motive mechanism operatively connected to said feeding member to rotate the same, an electrically-operated control device including an escapement, said control device being connected to said mechanism and including a production-sensitive element adapted to be connected to a moving part of said machine and movable thereby intermittently in response to the completion of production of workpieces by said production machine for imparting a step-by-step operation to said electric motive mechanism, a stylus engageable with said record strip, a stylus support movable to and fro across said record strip transversely to the direction of travel thereof, and a timing device operatively connected to said stylus support and effective to move said stylus support at a uniform speed forwardly and reversely to and fro across said record strip whereby to trace out a stepped production record line on said record strip having the steps thereof representing the number of workpieces produced.

2. An instrument for recording upon Ia record strip the workpiece production of a machine, comprising a rotary record strip feeding member engagea'ble with said record strip, normally inactive electric motive mechanism operatively connected to said feeding member to rotate the same, an electrically-operated control device including an escapement and an operating electro-magnet therefor, said control device being -connected to said mechanism and including a productionsensitive element ladapted to be connected to a moving part of said machine and movable thereby intermittently in response to the completion of production of workpieces by said production machine for imparting a step-by-step operation to said electric motive mechanism, a stylus engagea-ble with said record strip, la stylus support movable to and fro across said record strip transversely to the direction of travel thereof, 'and a timing device operatively connected to said stylus support and effective to move said stylus support at `a uniform speed forwardly and reversely to and fro 'across said record strip whereby to trace out a stepped production record line on said record strip having the steps thereof representing the number of workpieces produced.

NORMAN R. BENHAM.

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